Essay by Eric Worrall
“… Achieving a genuine and sustained global-scale energy transition … requires greater emphasis on reducing energy demand …”
Broadcast: News items
Energy-hungry AI and air conditioning risk wiping out climate gains made by renewables
By: Vicky Welstead
Last updated: Friday, 13 February 2026The rapid expansion of renewable energy is being used to meet rising electricity demands rather than displacing fossil fuels, according to new research by the University of Sussex.
Energy-hungry artificial intelligence data centres and greater use of air conditioning in a fast-heating world are among several factors threatening to undermine the climate gains made by renewables, according to the paper published in Nature Reviews Clean Technology.
Researchers from Sussex and Vienna’s Central European University found record growth in solar power in the first three quarters of 2025. For the first time this rise in clean electricity outpaced global growth in electricity demand, yet the researchers warn this fragile balance is now starting to tip back the other way.
Since the 2015 Paris Agreement, which aims to limit global temperature rises, global wind and solar power generation has grown rapidly, yet emissions from the power sector have continued to rise as electricity demand has grown even faster. Analysis of global energy demand in 2025 found artificial-intelligence data centres are a major driver, alongside increased use of air conditioning as people struggle to cope with hotter temperatures.
Electrification of transport and consumer trends such as bigger cars were also highlighted as culprits. The report found these pressures are eroding efficiency gains made by individual countries. Projections to 2030 warn that increases in electricity use could consume most new renewable supply unless proactive measures are taken to limit demand.
“Renewables are scaling at record speed, but demand growth from data centres, cooling and transport is running just as fast,” said Professor Felix Creutzig, Bennett Institute Chair at the University of Sussex. “We need policies that curb unnecessary energy use and shape demand so that clean electricity can have the intended effect of cutting emissions from fossil fuels.”
The report cites evidence from the European Union and major cities showing that demand reduction isn’t necessarily a matter of human hardship, and can coincide with economic growth and wellbeing for citizens through efficiency measures and urban planning that reduces dependence on cars. The authors conclude that aligning renewables with demand-side strategies is now central to meaningful decarbonisation.
The University of Sussex’s Bennett Institute for Innovation and Policy is hosting its annual Research Symposium on 19 February. Under the theme Zero Hour for Energy Policy: Researching the Race to Net Zero delegates will explore pressing issues that underpin the acceleration of climate change policies. Attendance is free, but registration is required.
Source: https://www.sussex.ac.uk/broadcast/read/70094
The abstract of the study;
Energy demand and decarbonization in 2025 and beyond
Nature Reviews Clean Technology volume 2, pages 4–5 (2026) Cite this article
Rapid expansion of renewables has thus far mostly covered fast-growing energy demand rather than displacing fossil fuels. New demand drivers such as data centres and cooling could reverse declining demand trends from 2024–2025 without further effort.
Key advances
Read more (paywalled): https://www.nature.com/articles/s44359-025-00139-w#Ack1
- Record expansion in solar power in the first three-quarters of 2025 was sufficient to raise total clean electricity generation faster than demand growth for the first time.
- New loads such as artificial intelligence data centres and increasing cooling needs accelerate increasing energy demand, potentially reversing regional power demand reduction trends in 2024–2025.
- Achieving a genuine and sustained global-scale energy transition — where renewables structurally displace fossil energy — requires greater emphasis on reducing energy demand while increasing well-being.
- Without further demand-side efforts, projected additional power demand between 2025 and 2030 is expected to consume the projected rapid renewable energy expansion.
Rationing energy demand, while maintaining existing standards of living for people who already have modern comforts, would require denying people in Africa, Asia and Arabia access to the same technological comforts that we enjoy.
Or maybe they plan to take away our air conditioners.
Either way this disgusting demand for energy rationing in my opinion exposes the fiction that renewables are cheaper than fossil fuel. If Renewables actually were cheaper, there would be no need to build more fossil fuel capacity or ration access to energy. Simple economics would cause renewables to effortlessly dominate the energy investment landscape, without any need for policy intervention.
